Mosen At Large

Hi again Mosen at Largers. In this bigger than huge, bumper episode, iOS 13.2 is out. There are still serious bugs, one in particular of high impact that is new to this release affecting Made for iPhone hearing aid users who also use VoiceOver. We deserve better.

Clocks have been going forward and back depending on where in the world you are. Is daylight saving a failed experiment we should abandon, or do you appreciate that extra daylight at the end of a summer's day?

A listener talks about one of his favourite games for iOS, Timecrestc.

We discuss guide dogs. A listener asks how much difference do they make really, and are they too much hassle for what you get back?

Apple TV+ has arrived. There was plenty of interest in the blind community in See. I talk about my initial impressions of the service and some of the shows including See.

We talk some more about the Brave Browser, based on the Chromium engine, also accessible in iOS.

Various listeners have a chat about mechanical keyboards and why you might want one.

In the Bonnie bulletin, it's time for me to feel the fear and do it anyway, get back on the virtual bike, and go to a cricket match. Bonnie also talks about snoring. It's something not often discussed, but it can cause a bit of friction. We ask if anyone's found any good techniques for managing it.

A listener asks why I stick with Focus Braille displays and whether I have looked at others.

We revisit the question of dodgy audio in Windows. All this, and so much more.

Hi again Mosen at Largers. This week, we ask if our personal assistant devices are just going a bit too far in trying to protect our delicate ears. I provide some examples of famous songs that have now incurred the wrath of the Siri and Alexa censors.

More listeners talk about their food loves and hates.

There's yet more discussion about whether Braille should always begin with an uppercase B. I say, let's put it to a global vote. I have no doubt which way it would go.

A listener chimes in on the concerning state of Catalyst apps on the Mac, and I highlight the difference in the frequency and quality of engagement Apple has with our community compared with other mainstream companies.

We look at the Apple TV app for Fire TVs and discuss what it can do.

A listener asks a question about iCloud keychain versus 1Password.

The Apple Radio Directory appears to be removing some smaller stations. Its days are probably numbered.

Bonnie and I talk about a concept I have dubbed "blind face". Should we speak up more about people who think they know what it's like to be blind because they have been under blindfold? And should there be Government funding of guide dog schools?

The BBC has released a new news skill for Alexa that has some awesome new features.

Research has proven definitively that dark mode has a massive positive impact on your phone's battery life, particularly if you have a phone with an OLED display.

We discuss some linguistic differences in the show this week, including whether companies are singular or plural, and the way Americans use the word "fix" to mean prepare, when most people only use it to mean "repair".

Hi Mosen at Largers. Thanks for joining me again. Are you as enthralled by the Brexit drama as me? Before putting the show together, I pulled an all-nighter watching coverage of the unusual and dramatic Saturday session of the UK House of Commons. I offer a few thoughts.

We talk about food you absolutely adore, and food you detest. Even though the answer to this question should be blatantly obvious, at a listener's request I outline just a few of the things that make soup an abomination.

I review and highly recommend "A Day Like Today", an autobiography by British journalist and recently-retired BBC interviewer John Humphrys.

Shawn calls in to recommend a book called the ABCs of UEB. You can find it here.

We hear a listener's perspective on running Windows on a virtual machine on the Mac.

Keeping with our food theme, Bonnie joins me to discuss some of her most and least favourite food as well as her first taste of a New Zealand culinary institution.

We look at a few items of tech news, including announcements around Disney Plus, Uber Pet, Google's Pixel event and the cool new recorder in the new devices, the ability to easily move music and other audio between your Google Home devices, Tile has some new products including Tile Stickers.

I discuss how I have now made the Microsoft Edge Chromium beta my web browser of choice.

Hi Mosen at Largers. Many will be tuning in for Google's big event. They'll reveal the Pixel 4 this coming week and there'll be other things unveiled too. A listener asks me to talk about anything I'd like to see announced.

Are you a Mac user looking forward to a greater variety of apps? It appears Apple may have seriously dropped the accessibility ball with its new Catalyst project.

We hear some inside information on Apple's new series about a world full of blind people called "See", and get confirmation that all Apple TV Plus series will contain audio description.

I give you my recommendation for the BBC Radio 4 Feedback podcast and tell you why I find it so entertaining.

Change in something as fundamental as the way you read can be disconcerting. A listener questions whether the Unified English Braille code is advancing the cause of Braille.

A listener seeks advice, is it safe to upgrade an iPhone 6s to iOS 13? Is speed faster, slower or roughly the same?

We're not shy of tackling the controversial questions on this show. Oh boy! A listener wants to know which is better, Apple Music or Spotify? I give you my take and you're welcome to share yours.

We hear from a listener who owns a WeWalk Smart Cane. I'd love to hear from others who have one of these to find out how it's working out for you.

Google Maps has enhanced walking directions for blind people who live in the US or Japan, and BlindSquare now has tight Aira integration.

We discuss techniques for keeping your new phone battery in top shape.

Now I know I have a hearing impairment, but I think I heard via Twitter that October is meet the blond month. I think that's right. So my favourite blonde, Bonnie Mosen, is on the show. Bonnie and I have a good old rant about the insulting inappropriateness of postal ballots in elections without any accessible alternative.

And just how lucky am I really?

Hi Mosen at Largers. This week, a listener reviews a set of bone conduction headphones he particularly likes.

A listener recounts his experiences transferring all his data from his old iPhone to his shiny new one using Apple's phone to phone method.

We discuss serious iOS 13 bugs and possible ways around them, especially the freezing after a call.

Why does Bana and some other Braille authorities ask us to disrespect Braille, the man and the code, by suggesting it not be capitalised unless we're referring to the individual? This is something I feel very strongly about. Here's my blog post on the subject. I urge those who feel the same way to bring this to their consumer conventions next year by way of resolution. Let's get this fixed.

I provide some hints on giving presentations with a Braille display and iPhone.

I describe my experience with Ulysses, a writing app for iOS with a Mac version also available, that is fully accessible and wonderful to use, but currently has one show stopper of a bug when I use it with my iPhone.

I discuss the deluge of announcements that came from Amazon, with plenty of innovative hardware and software changes to look forward to.

Bonnie has a new toy! She gives us some initial impressions of her Focus 40 Blue from Vispero.

We here about a couple of fun Alexa skills, Box of Cats and Audible Clock.

Finally, we look ahead to Apple TV Plus.

Hi Mosen at Largers. Thanks for checking out this episode in which I discuss my new iPhone 11 Pro Max and a very serious accessibility issue I've been trying to get past. If you'd like to read the Mac Stories iOS 13 review I mentioned, it's available here.

I ask you a challenging question. If you had to pick just one book, just one that is your all-time favourite, what would it be? We hear some listener thoughts; you may get some good book recommendations to follow up.

David Mosen joins me for a Banana Report where he talks about his role in my investiture ceremony, and offers a photographer's view of the iPhone 11 Pro.

Bonnie and I recount the saga of the lost keys and talk about the investiture ceremony.

A listener inquired about a talking washer/dryer module. Here's an article about it.

I look ahead to Amazon's big event later this week, as well as their announcement of Amazon HD, a streaming lossless music service as the lowest price yet.

All this and so much more. Thanks for listening and for spreading the word.

Welcome back to the podcast. For those who can see it, hope you dig the new logo! It was designed by a graphic designer and everything!

There’s plenty of talk about Apple’s By Innovation event on this week’s show. I’ll bring you comprehensive analysis of what it all means from a blindness perspective, discuss some questions that remain unanswered, provide some thoughts on who might want to upgrade their iPhone, and I reveal whether I could resist upgrading this year or not. We’ll hear plenty of listener reaction to the event.

There was a crisis at Mosen Towers just ahead of the Apple event when we found that we had a fried Apple TV. But luckily, a free replacement is coming our way.

Audio geeks rejoice! I answer a question about my studio and how I produce this podcast.

In a week of drama, our Ring Video Doorbell broke as well. Oh no! It's often the case that we all have a good rant when we receive poor customer service, so Bonnie and I wanted to recount the outstanding experience we had with Ring Customer Support.

Bonnie talks about her struggles reading tactile diagrams, and her introduction to the game of Swish.

There appears to be an accessibility bug with new Samsung devices, and a listener had a horrible customer service experience trying to get it investigated.

Thanks to a listener contribution, we revisit the question of free screen readers and when it's appropriate to use them.

Finally, we hear more thoughts on the Optacon and the unique information it conveyed to blind people. Whew, it's a busy show!

Hi again at largers! There's plenty about the forthcoming Apple event and iOS 13 this week, including a look at what we can expect on the hardware front and what some of us wish for. I briefly demonstrate the powerful new Voice Control functions of iOS 13.

I answer a listener question about how and why I chose to adopt ketogenic eating, and its many health benefits.

It definitely won't be happening this year, but could Touch ID be returning to future iPhones?

We hear that some users are holding onto older iPhones due to concerns about losing the Home Button. Is this a factor for you? What is it about the Home button that makes you want to keep it around?

I reflect on another remarkable week in the UK as they struggle with Brexit.

I tell the story of why I ended up getting my mouth washed out with soap.

We look at what's coming up in watchOS 6 including the possibility of sleep tracking.

I talk a bit about my experiences with task tracking apps, and compare the new, rewritten Reminders app in iOS 13 with Omnifocus and Todoist. Todoist is now my personal favourite.

In other tech news,WD introduces a new range of My Passport drives, Sonos has new devices including its first battery-operated speaker, and Roomba wants to mow your lawns.

We all have flashbulb moments. Events that had such an impact on our lives that we remember vividly where we were and what we were doing when we heard about them. I discuss some of my own and we hear some listener reflections.

After one of our listeners received a surprising visit from an accordion teacher she hadn't seen for 40 years, she dusts off the instrument and plays a little traditional Scottish music for us.

What are the benefits of eSIM, and how do you use it if you have an iPhone XS, XS Max or XR? I'll give you a quick demo.

We talk about using Google Assistant for iOS and how it's doing some pretty smart things to be useful even on the highly restricted iPhone.

The Twitter account of Twitter's CEO got hacked. What's up with that?

We talk more about the importance of our assistive technology being efficient, and how blindness OCR packages aren't meeting everyone's needs.

All this and much more on this week's Mosen At Large.

Dude! He just couldn't stay away. Welcome to Mosen At Large.

Now there are some who say, "Jonathan, you're full of...tech!" And it's true, while not all episodes of this show will have technology in them, we're really geeking out with this one.

Windows 95 has turned 24, so I share my memories and we hear some great stories from listeners. I express concerns about funders maybe thinking that less featured screen readers are enough for us to succeed on the job, this could put our hard-won jobs at risk.

We talk about the benefits of meditation on sleep, I update you on my quest to hear the Abbey Road Dolby Atmos mix, and I make the case for dedicated OCR apps like Kurzweil 1000 and OpenBook.